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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744621">Persona 5: A little too late</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_Ethans/pseuds/Charlie_Ethans'>Charlie_Ethans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Persona: What if? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Sad, basically a fic where the protag comes to shujin one year later than he was supposed to</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:01:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744621</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_Ethans/pseuds/Charlie_Ethans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU of persona 5 where Joker arrives 1 year later than he did in the base game. This means: Ryuji gets expelled, Kaneshiro thrives, Shido gets elected, and just when the story begins Akechi is arrested. Please tell me what you think!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Persona: What if? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One year too late...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"YOU'RE EXPELLING ME?! BUT I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" </p><p>"I'm sorry, Sakamoto-Kun, but an assault against a teacher is no joke."</p><p>"BULLSHIT! THAT ASSHOLE ASSAULTS THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM AT PRACTICE EVERY DAY!" </p><p>"Once again, we have personally questioned the volleyball team. But it appears they know nothing about the claims you are throwing at Mr. Kamoshida"</p><p>"Aaah! This is such bullshit!"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akira Kurusu was being sent to a city on charges of physical assault on a politician. One year had passed since the incident, and his parent's lawyers had gotten him to be in the care of someone else while he attends school in Tokyo; it was either that or prison so he wasn't complaining. He was supposed to find a man named Sojiro Sakura. He ran a cafe down in Yongen-Jaya. His dad had the decency to drop him off nearby and give him directions before speeding off; Akira always had the thought that his parents didn't want him around, but he was probably being paranoid. </p>
<p> "Hmm.." Akira looked down at the note which read 'SOJIRO SAKURA. LEBLANC.'. These weren't exactly the most specific instructions, but he figured it was better than wandering around all evening. It would only take a few steps forward for Akira to see a little coffee shop in the alleyway with the name 'LEBLANC' on it. A smile appeared on the teen's face and his general mood lifted as he realized he was staying at a coffee shop! Akira approached the cafe, entering its doors to be embraced with a warm atmosphere. The first thing he saw was the owner, likely Sojiro Sakura, sitting down away from the door and staring at the TV. Akira found it odd that he didn't even bother to turn around and look at who just entered the shop, especially since it seemed there was a lack of customers. Akira almost spoke up when the blaring sound of the news caught his attention. "Reports state that ace detective Akechi Goro has been apprehended under suspicion of being the one responsible for the Mental shutdowns that swept Japan last year. Prime Minister Shido has issued his response." A bald man, who seemed rather familiar to Akira, appeared on the screen. This reminded him of the fact that he was held in custody and court for so long he completely missed the elections. The Prime Minister silenced the crowd of reporters before speaking. "A year ago, I promised I would bring peace and prosperity to this great nation! I intend to keep that promise! Our fine police force has deducted that the 18-year-old student known as Goro Akechi was causing innocent civilians to have mental shutdowns! After causing them, he would solve the murders himself so he could become famous! I would like to thank them for bringing this culprit to justice! I promise that I will personally prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law!" The screen cut to a photo of a teenager wearing a tan peacoat, black pants, and black gloves, seemingly on a talk show. A voice started speaking over this picture. "Goro Akechi has previously appeared on various talk shows. His charismatic personality, and what we now know as fake crime-solving abilities won the population over. Akechi-San will be tried for the murders of-" The screen cut to black. </p>
<p> "That's enough of that." The man said out loud, standing up to face Akira. "Sorry to ignore you, things are getting depressing these days... Anyway, what can I get you?" Akira politely told him of who he was, and immediately looked more disgruntled. All Akira could think was 'feck'. "Oh, You're him, huh? Well get upstairs and we will talk when I close up shop." The teen looked around before noting that there were no customers in the store.  Sojiros face quickly turned to anger. "Enough out of you! Get upstairs and don't mess anything up!" After that, Akira quickly scurried up the stairs.</p>
<p> Sojiro calmed down by the time shop closed up, seeing as he calmly explained that this was his room, to keep it clean, and not to mess up the shop. Akira quickly agreed to everything, seeing as he didn't wanna make the guardian any more upset than he already was. With that, his guardian left, and he was left to go to sleep or clean up. It wasn't too difficult to tidy up the room, most of it was just cobwebs and books lying around. After the clean up it was time to go to bed, his first day of school was tomorrow after all. </p>
<p>

The teen woke up, he felt steel against his hands and one of his legs. He forced his eyes open to be greeted by a blue room that seemed like a prison. Was this a nightmare? It had to be right? No way it wasn't. Akira forced his tired body up to be greeted by a pair of twins and a man in the center with a long nose. "Definitely a nightmare" One of the twins slammed a baton against the bars, making the male jump. She spoke up. "You're here later than expected inmate!" the other one, who appeared very calm, spoke up as well. "Yes, it seems your rehabilitation has been severely delayed due to unfortunate circumstances." Akira, being his confusingly calm self asked the twins where he was. However, instead of either of them speaking, a deep, gruff voice spoke up, which originated from the long-nosed man in the middle of the room. "Welcome to my velvet room.."</p>
<p>Akira woke up with only the vague memory of this room he was in. Had that only been a dream? It seemed too real for Akira to immediately dismiss. He was taken out of his focus by Sojiro appearing before him. "Alright, kid, you're going to take the closest train station in Yongan, then transfer through the Ginza line to get to Aoyama-Itchome and Shujin isn't far from there. Got it?" The man appeared to be nice enough, Akira nodded.   </p>
<p>The trip to shujin was pleasant as can be. Tons of people on their commute to work, and he could see a few students as well. He overheard a couple gossiping about the recent news. "Did you see the news last night? Goro Akechi was apprehended!" Said the woman in the white shirt, not even attempting to be quite. "Yes, I did! I'm so glad voted for Shido. He is keeping us safe" Exclaimed the woman in black, talking a bit more hushed. The name Shido struck the teen again, giving him a minor headache. Why couldn't he remember that name? He shrugged it off as simple deja vu and continued to wait for his stop at Aoyama-Itchome. </p>
<p>Upon arrival, it immediately started to rain. Realizing he forgot his umbrella and didn't bother to ask his guardian for one and after leaving the station, he quickly took cover under a bus stop. A few moments passed and rain started pouring down like no tomorrow. All of a sudden, a car rolled up to a stop right next to where Akira stood. The tinted window rolled down to reveal a pleasant-looking man with a smile. "Hey, kid, need a ride?" Akira looked in the passenger's seat to see a platinum blonde girl, around Akiras age, appearing sad and looking down and away. "So? you coming or not?" Akira politely declined the offer. "Your loss." The man said as he drove away. Just as the man drove away, another teen with spiky blonde hair ran after it, slowing down as the car clearly beat him in speed. "That fucking bastard!" The teen yelled before running undercover of the bus stop beside Akira. The blonde-haired teen sighed. Akira felt concerned for his peer and politely asked what his problem was with the adult. The blonde turned to Akira and tilted his head slightly. "You don't know? I can tell you're a student at that shitty school how can you not know why I'm pissed off?" Akira explained his situation, and why he was at this school in the first place. The blonde's expression changed for confusion to understanding. "So you were screwed over by these shitty adults as well, huh? Well, my name's Ryuji, and that bastard-" He pointed in the direction where the car went "Got me expelled from Shujin for standing up to him!" For a moment, Akira considered the fact that Ryuji might be lying to him about the expulsion, but decided it wasn't worth questioning. He asked the teen if he knew the direction of Shujin. "If I were you I wouldn't even go there. Although, seeing as you're here cause of a charge against you probably means you don't have a choice, huh?"  Ryuji's expressions changed to empathy "I know a shortcut. Follow me" he said, starting to go through an alleyway. Akira followed close behind him </p>
<p>Akira received a vibration in his phone and upon pulling it out he was greeted by an app with a red eye for an icon. It was already opened as Ryuji started to speak. "I'm sick of that pervy teacher Kamoshida getting everything he wants! He abuses all the volleyball students at Shujin and gets away with it like he is some king of the god damn castle!" Akira felt a large headache hit him, feeling as if reality around him has just warped but after a few moments it was already gone, and everything seemed back to normal. Ryuji stopped just before the exit. "Alright. Just around the corner is Shujin Academy. I'm not allowed near the premises anymore since..well I'm just not allowed near anymore. Stay safe. Don't let that asshole teacher get to you" and with that, Ryuji departed. Akira came out of the alleyway to be greeted by an enormous castle standing higher than any skyscraper in Tokyo. Akira felt shocked, not only was this not shujin but he could've sworn that he saw no building like this on his way here. Wouldn't he see something like this from afar? He checked his phone. No reception. The dark-haired teen took a few steps forward before hearing a yell from afar. "WAIT!" Akira turned to his right to see the blonde approaching from a distance. "Dude! What the hell!? I saw this as I was leaving alleyway on the other side. I swear this is where Shujin is." Ryuji seemed just as confused as Akira was. The pair just gazed up at the castle which towered over them. "Do we...walk in..?" Akira slowly turned his head towards the male and shot him a confused look, although after contemplation he realized that if he left this alone his curiosity would never give it up, and so he nodded. "Alright..as long as I have someone like you with me I'm confident we will be fine!" Ryuji yelled with a smile before starting towards the castle.  </p>
<p>The castle appeared to have its gates open as they approached as if already prepared for the arrival of the pair. Two guards came out of the wide, wooden doors and appeared to be alerted by Ryuji's presence. The guards took the spears they were holding and aimed them at the blonde, almost completely ignoring the dark-haired teen. "HALT! RYUJI SAKAMOTO! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR TREASON AGAINST KING KAMOSHIDA!" Akira could almost see an exclamation mark appear over the other male's head. "Wh-What?! What're you talking about?! Treason?! And what do you mean KING Kamoshida?!" The two guards didn't answer his question and turned their attention towards Akira "YOU! ARE YOU WITH THIS CRIMINAL?!" Akira was unsure if the guards were talking to him or Ryuji for a moment, but just thinking was taking too much time as one of the guards rudely interrupted his thoughts. "NEVERMIND THAT! THROW BOTH OF THEM IN THE DUNGEON! KING KAMOSHIDA WILL GIVE THEM THEIR SENTENCE LATER!" both the guards nodded before separately approaching the two. Akira took a few steps back, warning the guards that he will fight back. The guard stared at him through that steel helmet, sending shivers down the male's spine. That was the last thing Akira Kurusu felt before being knocked unconscious, the world fading to black.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. King of the God Damn Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Ther-There's rumours that Shiho might not make it... I knew I shouldn't have refused him!"</p>
<p>"Refused who?"</p>
<p>"Kamoshida! He said Shiho would lose her starter position if I stopped.."</p>
<p>"He WHAT?! That bastard!"</p>
<p>"Ryuji?! Where are you going?!"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A dim orange light hit Akiras eyes as he slowly started to wake up, feeling the hard pavement beneath him. His head in pain, and having no idea what happened, Akira sat up to see Ryuji banging on the jail cell doors. "Hey, assholes! let us out!" Akira gazed around the room, the sight of axes and chains took him by surprise, causing him to gasp and catch the blonde's attention. "Hey, you, you're finally awake! Help me with these bars!" Akira looked at the steel bars keeping them in captivity and quietly told the teen that not much was going to get through them. Ryuji protested for just a moment before sighing. "You're probably right" The male moved and sat down on the metal bed across from Akira.  </p>
<p>"So, considering we will probably be here for a while, what did you do that got you transferred to this shitty school?" Ryuji asked, fiddling with a piece of loose metal. Akira explained to him his situation, and how Shido kept reminding him of the guy. Ryuji looked at him as if he had just said something stupid "Dude...Maybe, Prime minister Shido is the guy who screwed you over? I mean, I've always had a bad feeling about the guy and the fact that this pretentious 'ace detective' is being arrested is just making me more suspicious of the guy. OH! Do you think that Akechi was getting to close to Shido's crimes?!" For some reason, the thought never occurred to him that the two may be related, could be why his official trial was postponed for so long as well. Suddenly, Ryuji let out a chuckle. "I can't believe I'm trying to be calm when a tall-ass castle appeared right where your school should be." Then it clicked, Akira realized that there was a real possibility this castle wasn't here in the first place and that when he pulled out his phone and got that massive headache that it must've spawned it or transported them to it. He excitedly explained his theory to Ryuji, which turned him wide-eyed. "For real?! You're saying your phone could have possibly made this thing? or-or maybe transported us here?!" Akira nodded "Okay, So maybe if we mess around with the phone we can get transported back or something, right?" Ryuji made his way over to Akira and snatched his phone from him, however, just as Ryuji was going to try the phone a distorted voice spoke up from outside the bars. "What do you think you're doing?!" Akira turned towards the voice to be met with the sight of a middle-aged man in a red and white robe with pink underpants on, he couldn't help but laugh. Ryuji, on the other hand, seemed rather pissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Ryuji aggressively approached the bars but was fended off by a guard slamming his spear against the cell. "Is that how you speak to your king, Sakamoto? Especially after I had to exile you for your brutal attack on me?" Ryuji stomped his foot down "Maybe you shouldn't abuse your students, asshole!" </p>
<p>The teacher chuckled "That isn't any way to talk to your king, Sakamoto, It appears I have to have you executed. GUARDS! Execute them both!" Shock immediately hit both men as they realized their lives were in imminent danger. Both Akira and Ryuji took a few steps back as the guards entered the cell. Two of them pinned Akiras arms to the wall while the other 3 made sure Ryuji didn't move as they prepped the sword. Akira Attempted to struggle, flailing his limbs and trying to grab at anything to help him escape. The king walked in carefully, standing tall over both of them. "You two are NOTHING compared to me! You!" The teacher pointed his finger directly towards Akira "I'll show you what happens when you cross me" Akira kept flailing, trying to get the guards to stop but it seemed as if nothing would. "Are you out of your mind?!" Akira yelled for the first time since he transferred to Tokyo, but this caught the attention of the teacher. "Shut it! Do you want to be executed first?!" Finally, Akira stopped struggling and just looked down. "This truly is an unjust game... your chances of winning are almost none" A voice that could only come from a child spoke. Akira looked up, only faintly hearing Ryujis cries for help in the background, and saw a blue butterfly gently flying around him. "But if my voice is reaching you, there may be a possibility open to you." A new surge of energy was starting to take place deep within Akiras heart, he started to feel the need for rebellion. Suddenly, a deeper, older voice spoke into his mind. "You have certainly kept me waiting. What's the matter? Are you simply going to watch? Are you going to forsake him to save yourself?" Conflict struck his heart like a cold steel sword "If you do nothing, Death will consume him. Was your previous decision a mistake then?" Those words, like a lighthouse in the fog, made him realize what he needed to do, where his heart must be. "It wasn't," he said out loud but the teacher was clearly to busy on his power trip to pay any mind. The voice spoke again with a laugh "Very well... I have heeded your resolve." A surge of pain soared through the teen's body as if an entity was taking over, but Akira had full control of himself. As the teen started to writhe in pain, the guards trying to keep him still, the voice spoke again. "Vow to me. I am thou.. thou art I... Thou who art willing to preform all sacrilegious actions for thine own justice! Call upon my name! and release thy rage!!" Another surge of pain went through Akira, he felt as if he was being tortured. "Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, as if thou be chained to hell itself!" and with that, all the pain washed away and the rebellion swelling in Akiras soul was now complete. "That's enough!" Akira yelled. The teacher, who he could realize was Kamoshida at this point, turned around with a shocked expression on his face. "What was that?" Akira simply grinned, not saying a word "Guards! Kill that one!" Akira struggled but was only met with the handle of a sword knocking off his glasses.  </p>
<p>Akira looked down, the guard raised its sword, and Ryuji's was starting to struggle as well against his captors. Suddenly, a powerful wind pushed every guard away from his body. Akira felt an object on his face. A mask. Something told him to take it off. He gripped it hard, pulling, pulling, and pulling until the mask started to tear the skin from his very own face, to which Akira let out a scream in pain as it was ripped away from his face. After just a moment, Blue hellfire exploded, covering the teens' entire body, forming the rebellion of Akira's heart into physical form. So, Arsène was born. A large entity wearing a red jacket and a top hat, its face a mask. The Dark haired male couldn't help but grin. Meanwhile, Kamoshida unexpectedly grinned back. "I see... It appears you may have the same power as that cat I condemned months ago. He sure was powerful, ever since then, I have been training myself. My 'Heart' as he called it. I could kill you right now, nobody would ever question two random kids going missing, especially ones who no one cares about."  </p>
<p>"Stop fucking spewing bullshit!" Ryuji charged towards Kamoshida but was briskly knocked away by a flash of light that emitted from the teacher's body. </p>
<p>"Kill them," Kamoshida said calmly, simply walking out of the cell.</p>
<p>"YES, SIR" The guards approached Akira first before transforming into two... Jack o lanterns? Akira couldn't help but laugh, that laughter was short-lived as he felt heat smash against his body, sending him flying back. </p>
<p>"I can see you are not yet talented enough to wield me to your fullest potential" The voice of Arsène spoke again "Here, let me help you" Akira was sent another headache, filling him in on how to wield Arsène to his fullest potential. It was time for a battle.</p>
<p>Akira summoned Arsène, using all his body and soul to curse the enemy into oblivion. A dark swarm of what could only be assumed to be souls consumed one of the Jack o lanterns and turn it to dust, Both Arsène and Akira were happy with this power. The other one appeared very frightened, but stood its ground and shot a piece of fire out from its body and towards Akira. This time he was prepared, dodging it with grace and quickly initiating a counter-attack by summoning the souls of the damned once more to consume this enemy and take them to hell. With that, the battle was finished, and Ryuji sat there scared shitless.</p>
<p>"What... the hell...is that?" He quickly got to his feet, staying a safe distance away from the persona user. Akira looked at his clothes and realized that they had changed, he was no longer wearing the school clothing he had and instead sported what looked like something from 'Phantom of the opera'. He simply shrugged. </p>
<p>"Wha?! Don't just shrug this off! What kind of power is that?! What did Kamoshida mean by 'cat'?!" That struck Akira as odd, the teacher did say 'condemned' right? Could there be another person with the same powers as him in this very castle? He decided it wasn't worth debating, seeing as there could be guards on their way here at any moment. </p>
<p>"C'mon, Sakamoto, let's get out of here..." Akira said, giving his hand to Ryuji. </p>
<p>"Yeah... let's go..." Ryuji grabbed the male's hand, stuck in his head as he followed Akira out of the cell. How was he supposed to do anything against this fake Kamoshida? It felt almost as useless as when he failed to help out his best friend. The internal struggle carved the blonde's heart up, making him only feel disdain for himself. How could he let Akira be executed in place of him? If Kurusu didn't summon whatever that was he would have been dead and Ryuji would have yet again caused ruin to someone who only helped. Nevertheless, Ryuji put on foot in front of the other and kept on moving, making sure now to get in Akiras way. </p>
<p>While Ryuji was stuck in his head, Akira ran around with his cloak almost floating in his tracks. He was looking for a way out of here. This place felt almost like a labyrinth, corridors twisting around every minute as if they were never-ending. Finally, as if the hope of Akira reached the heart of this castle, they came across a window that led directly out, it was barred, but Akira figured his persona could break it easily. It did. 
"Woah holy crap! That shits awesome! Let's get outta here!"  Ryuji's mood seemed to dramatically change as he saw a potential escape. First, Akira struggled to climb through the tiny gap that led to the outside world, but luckily he squeezed himself on through. Next, Ryuji got onto the bench that went to the gap, but just before he could reach for it, a sharp arrow pierced directly through his knee, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Akira yelled out Ryuji's name, getting onto his stomach to try and struggle in again. From this angle, he could see the culprit. A familiar-looking girl, around the same age, wearing a skinny bikini. Ryuji's face turned from pain to shock as he saw the girl. </p>
<p>"Ann?!" Ryuji yelled out, trying to back away. Ann took a few steps towards him, giggling. </p>
<p>"Master told me to get rid of you. I can't allow scum like you to escape" she giggled again. Akira struggled to get through the bars, but just as he got halfway through, one of them materialized right through his side, causing him immense pain. Ryuji looked up at the person that had helped him so much throughout this entire predicament. Was he going to let himself and his friend die?! </p>
<p>"You're pathetic, Ryuji, I've always hated you." The girl said. Akira saw the face of Kamoshida come up from behind, touching Ann so sensually. </p>
<p>"Don't you see what happens when you side with trash?!" Kamoshida said, turning his attention to Akira </p>
<p>"Don't let him win, Ryuji!" Akira ignored the teacher, yelling at the blonde instead. Ryuji appeared to have ignored him at first, but a grin that spread across the blonde's face indicated otherwise. </p>
<p>"You're right. This piece of trash abused me and my team. He got me expelled. He sexually abused my best friend!" Ryuji yelled to himself, standing up despite the wound in his knee. "I won't let him win" </p>
<p>"Sit down. That's an order from your king!" Kamoshidas devilishly wide grin sent chills down Akiras spine, but seemingly unaffected Ryuji's. </p>
<p>"Stop. Stop looking at me with that STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE" Ryuji pointed harshly at the king, only momentarily as a surge of pain started to take effect. </p>
<p>"You kept me waiting quite a while" A voice within Ryujis heart spoke. Ryuji felt the power of rebellion bubbling. "You seek power correct? Then let us form a pact." Ryuji's started slamming his fist against the floor as he collapsed "Your name has been disgraced already, so why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The "other you" inside desires it such." It felt as if muscles were ripping out of his body to form a mask "I am thou, thou art I... There is no turning back! The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" Akira could see it now, the shape of a skull forming over the top half of Ryuji's face. 

"Hah! What is that puny thing going to do?" Ann said, readying another arrow
Ryuji gripped the mask tight, tearing what felt like muscles apart from his face. When he finally got the mask off, blood spewed from his face just before a blue fire took over his body. 



</p>
<p>Akira stared at this beautiful sight and knew. Ryuji has summoned the inner rebel within. The blue fire subsided and a persona with a pirate skeleton standing on a ship appeared. 
"Haha!" Ryuji laughed, the new feeling of power giving him the energy to finally battle. "I'm gonna knock you out, Kamoshida! GO! CAPTAIN KIDD!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Sinner of Lust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Nijima-San, we welcome you to this university but we can not permit you to keep switching courses like this. I have personally pulled many strings to get you here, but without results, we might have to revoke your scholarship."</p><p>"What?! O-Okay, listen I will do anything! Just please let me keep it! Sis will kill me if I lose out on this opportunity!"</p><p>"Keep trying. You have 2 months to settle on a course. If you can't by then..."</p><p>"Yes... I understand"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"GO! CAPTAIN KIDD!" Ryuji yelled, lightning sparked from his personas fingers and shot out, striking Kamoshida hard. </p><p>"Ack! Damn kid!" The king acted tough, but very quickly ran away, leaving the girl named Ann before them. The bars dematerialized, allowing Akira to leave the window and get back inside. Thats when Ann's body started to shift and distort, the limbs extended and contorted until the figure that stands before them was a mess of limbs with the girl's nondistorted face laying atop of it all. Ryuji was visibly horrified. "Wha-What the hell is this?!" He yelled out, knowing full well the other teen had no idea either. The distorted Ann spoke. "I will NOT let you hurt him!" the voice was oddly gruff, probably another symptom of the distortion. Before either boy could react, both could feel the limbs grabbing them and throwing them outside the window, making them land on the ground with a harsh thud. "D-Dude! L-Lets get outta here!" Ryuji stuttered, getting to his feet and sprinting towards the exit. Akira followed, hearing the voice following them quickly.   </p><p>Upon reaching the exit, both of them experienced another headache and suddenly they were back in front of the school, Ryuji was stunned, looking around before looking back at what was just a castle. "D-Dude what the hell is going on?! We were just in a damn castle! How can we be back at Shujin already?!" Akira was equally as stunned as the blonde, still staring directly from where they escaped from, which was now just a bush. "Hey, Isn't that Sakamoto-Kun? Doesn't Mr. Kamoshida have a restraining order against him?" Akira, confused as to what they meant, turned to the blonde, but unfortunately, he was already running off. Akira figured there was nothing he could do at this point, and just entered the school.</p><p>Akira felt a strange aura as he entered the school, feeling as if something has changed within it. A familiar voice suddenly yelled his name, causing him to turn around and face the familiar face of Mr. Kamoshida. He couldn't help but yelp a little bit. "Kurusu-Kun, you're late to class. What took you so long?" The voice was calm and kind, completely different from how he encountered him in the castle. He finally managed to stutter out an excuse as to why he was late. Mr. Kamoshida simply smiled and said "Oh don't worry about it! I remember my first day at school! Just be careful, some rumors have been going around concerning you." Akira nodded and watched as the teacher walked off, waving towards some students then around the corner. This was the same man they encountered in that castle? How? The teen decided there wasn't time to dwell on it and quickly made his way to class</p><p>Akira entered the homeroom on the third floor, feeling the cold glares of his peers fall upon him. Mr. Kamoshida appeared to be right. He could hear things such as 'is that the new kid?' or 'i heard he killed someone'. These were all lies, lies caused by the bastard who manipulated the law to his will. Now he was in a stupid school in Tokyo and is probably going to be made fun of for the rest of the year. The female teacher, Ms. Kawakami, hushed the students "Quite down, class. Listen, due to the recent...incident... in the courtyard, we are having a licensed therapist come to the school for 1 year. He will be introduced at the assembly after school. Any questions?" A girl his age raised her hand and Akira recognized her as the same girl inside the castle with Mr. Kamoshida. "Yes, Takamaki-San?" </p><p>"why don't- sui-" She spoke quietly, he could barely hear her. "Please speak up." The teacher politely asked, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST CALL IT SUICIDE?!" She screamed, standing up. "THIS IS THE SECOND ONE AFTER SHIHO! HOW DO WE KNOW THIS ONE WON'T JUST DIE?!" Tears started to stream down the girls face. Akira quietly moved to his seat, which happened to be behind her as she was escorted out of class. As Takamaki and Kawakami left the students started to gossip together. "Did you hear that Ann and Shiho were a thing? Maybe that's why-" "Shush, they definitely were not, and if they were they would be smart enough to hide it from him." Something seemed off. Akira didn't see Ann for the rest of the day, and it proceeded as normal. The assembly came along. Akira couldn't help but let his eyes search the crowd for the girl in his class earlier. No dice. A tall skinny man strutted flamboyantly up on stage. He wore a bowtie and sported a white shirt and grey pants. </p><p>"Hello, everyone," He said enthusiastically. Wasn't this assembly supposed to be about a suicide? "First off, Welcome back to another year at Shujin Academy. I would first like to welcome a few transfer students to the school." Akira's heart stopped "Please when I call your name come onto the stage!" The panic started to set in. He thought that maybe he could get away with being a quiet boy with not much attention drawn to him but now this asshole has to screw that up. "Second-year student, Kasumi Yoshizawa!" A girl with red hair in a ponytail tied by a ribbon walked on to the stage. She didn't say anything and just stood there, silently. "Okay- uh- Next up is our first Third-Year transfer student, Akira Kurusu!" Dammit, this asshole was talking like a damn announcer. He knew if he just stood still more attention would be brought to him. So, he carefully made his way on to the stage, standing directly next to the girl in the red ribbon. The man, who Akira guessed to be Principal Chisaka. He read that Chisaka replaced the previous Principal after an 'incident' at the highway. The Principal muttered under his breath before returning to his stage voice. "Everybody treat them nicely this year, okay?" Silence. Akira and the girl returned to stand in the crowd, more attention brought to both of them now. "Finally, I would like to introduce you to our school therapist, Takuto Maruki!" A man in a white coat came onto the stage, he appeared to be a bit clumsy, but overall looked almost like Akira except a bit older. "Uh, is this thing on?" The therapist said, accidentally bumping his head against it. The crowd laughed. Maruki explained why he was here and that he would be here for the rest of the school year, and he welcomed anyone and everyone.  </p><p>Akira felt lucky that it was the end of the day, now he could escape the glances and whispers that seemed to be attracted towards him. While traveling through Central street, he felt a hand touch his shoulder, making him jump. "Woah! Dude, it's just me, don't worry" Ryuji said, giving a little chuckle as he did so. "Man. That power we awoke to earlier was sick, bro! Do you think we could get back there somehow?" Akira was stunned, earlier today this boy almost pissed himself at the sight, and now he wants to go back?! Well, at least Akira knew that It wasn't a dream now. He agreed, deciding to go tomorrow after school to see what this 'castle' was. The two parted ways and returned to their separate homes. </p><p>Upon returning home, Akira noticed that the news was on again, this time a young woman with a red dress was on saying "Good evening, this just in the former Detective Prince Goro Akechi was just sentenced to death. This may come as a shock to many viewers, seeing as Akechi just recently turned 18 and he has been a guest on this show before. Shido has made a statement" The screen turned to what Akira now recognized as the man who got him sent here, now the Prime Minister of Japan. "My friends, I recognize this is a harsh punishment for a young boy. But harsh measures must be used against harsh criminals. When I was elected I promised I would take this country from the brink to greatness. This is the first step." The screen went back to the woman, and she started talking about other news. All Akira felt was anger and contempt for Shido. He now saw that he pushed the trial so far back so he could get elected before any incriminating news got out. Not that a delinquent teenager can do anything about it anyway. He figured that the other teenager, Goro Akechi, was probably innocent, and just another victim of Shido. Sojiro seemed busy with some customers so Akira just made his way back to his room.</p><p>"WAKE UP INMATE!" Akira's eyes jolted open, he felt the strange aura of a dream he has had before. The gruff voice that he remembered now spoke up "I never did explain to you where we were, did I? Welcome to my Velvet Room. This place exists between mind and matter, dream, and reality. My name is Igor, and these are my wardens Justine and Caroline." Igor never gestured towards the twins but Akira could somehow figure which was which. The calm and collected one was probably Justine, and the angry and demanding one was likely Caroline. "S-So it wasn't a dream?" Akira stuttered out, still collecting the fact that he was here. Caroline slammed her baton against the bars, getting the teen's attention but not really scaring him. "WEREN'T YOU LISTENING, INMATE? THIS PLACE EXISTS BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY. PAY ATTENTION IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMPLETE YOUR REHABILITATION" She screamed at him. Justine butted in saying "You are already one year late to this. You can not afford to waste time." Akira was left confused by this. Did they mention rehabilitation last time? Akira brought his attention to the long-nosed man "You guys keep mentioning this 'Rehabilitation' but what does it mean?" Igor just chuckled, "You have been granted tremendous power. One you cannot afford to waste. You have also already strengthened a bond with a person with similar power. This power is called a 'persona'. It is the physical manifestation of one's rebellious desires dwelling within." Akira just stood there dumbfounded "M-Makes sense I guess"  Igor continued his speech, looking down at his desk. "You have also found the physical manifestation of one's desires located in what we call the 'metaverse'. It appears you found the great sinner of lust. I trust you will do what you desire" Suddenly, everything went dark, and the next thing Akira knew he woke up in his bed in the attic, gasping as if awoken from a bad dream. "Distorted desires..." </p><p>The day progressed like normal. Sojiro told him not to get in trouble, he got to the train on time, went to class. Although, when mid-day hit and Akira went for lunch, he noticed the familiar sight of the blonde around the corner of the school, gesturing for him to come over. "Dude, the text you sent me earlier. You got us to that place from your phone?!" Akira nodded yes. "That's sick! Listen I'm not allowed on the premises but meet up with me mid-day and-" </p><p>"Dude shut up for a second. I want to try something out" Akira took out his phone and selected the app. "So we got to Kamoshidas castle from entering his name, which you did, and then it seems like you said school and castle which brought this place about" The app spoke saying "Please enter coordinates" Akira had a specific person in mind. After finding out who put him through court, he needed to know. The words left Akira's lips "Masayoshi Shido". The air was filled with tension, both teenagers had no idea if it was going to work. Silence filled the air like a toxic gas and just as he thought nothing was going to happen</p><p>"Candidate found"</p><p>"Holy shit, dude! Our prime minister has one of those things?! Wait. Enter the school and castle." Ryuji had a huge grin on his face as he asked this. It was like the first time he's had fun in months. Even though Akira had just met him the other day, he had a good feeling about this friendship. Akira entered School and castle.</p><p>"No candidates found."</p><p>Akira's mind went back to that dream last night. Igor had said that the castle they had found was the 'distorted desires' of Kamoshida. This wasn't the time to tell Ryuji about the twins and Igor right now. "Okay, Sakamoto-Kun, I have a theory." Ryuji slapped Akira on the back, not in a harsh way, but just the way a bro would do it. "Alright, shoot! Also, you don't need to be so formal. Ryuji is fine." </p><p>"Alright, Ryuji, I think that what that castle was may have been some sort of distorted version of what Kamoshida views the school." Ryuji didn't seem to be following along "Basically, I think that when we go into that castle we are entering how Kamoshida truly feels about this place." It seemed to click in for Ryuji, his eyes widened.</p><p>"For real?! S-So Kamoshida, that prick, views the school as his kingdom?!" Akira nodded "That bastard! W-Well, maybe if we can enter there, and take care of Kamoshida in there. Maybe he will stop being such a shithead!" Akira shrugged "It's possible, but we honestly have no idea what truly lies within. If you still want to enter tonight, meet me at Leblanc in Yongen-Jaya, okay?" </p><p>"Okay, bro, got it!" It was clear that Ryuji barely listened to that part as he ran off. Akira thought that maybe he was just excited, hell Akira was excited that there was a possibility to change the distorted desires of the adults that wronged him. He chuckled, making his way back to the school as the bell rang. </p><p>"Hey! Come over here!" A voice echoed from behind Akira, causing him to turn around in a bit of a panic. Had someone heard their discussion? No, even if they had it wouldn't make any sense. Akira saw nothing as he turned around except a black and white cat with a yellow collar. 'Heh, a crazy day must have been hearing things' he thought to himself, turning back around. The voice hit his ears again, it sounded like a young man his age speaking to him "Hey! Don't turn away from me! We need to talk!" Akira turned back around in an even bigger state of panic. "HELLO?!" He yelled, not even noticing how loud he was yelling. </p><p>"Quite down! Only you can hear me!" Akira slowly looked down at the cat. Was this-? No, a talking cat can't just happen. But then the cat opened its mouth. </p><p>"You can hear me, right?" The cat spoke, and the dark-haired teen just stared in shock. </p><p>"Y-You can t-talk?!" Akira stuttered out, not even blinking at the cat below him</p><p>"I guess I should explain myself. My name is Morgana and before you say it, I AM NOT A CAT" The cat said</p><p>Akira stammered for a few moments before bursting into laughter "Y-You AREN'T a cat?! You clearly are!" That didn't seem to make Morgana too happy</p><p>"I said I AM NOT A CAT!!! This form is just what I looked like outside the metaverse. You should see how handsome I am inside." Morgana chuckled, trying to be charming but obviously failing because he's a cat. "Anyway, I heard your conversation with the blonde one that just ran off" </p><p>"The blonde one? Do you mean Ryuji? More importantly, what do you know?! What is that place?!"</p><p>"What I think you guys entered is a palace. It's the physical manifestation of one's distorted desires. But, you seem to know that, so how about some new information?" New info? From a cat of all places?</p><p>"Go ahead." </p><p>"There is a way to change the way a person thinks inside the palace. It's called a 'treasure'. If you steal the treasure you can steal the distorted desires right from under their nose." Morgana chuckled again, almost like a meow chuckle though. Was he sure he wasn't a cat?</p><p>"So, you're saying we can change how Kamoshida behaves?" </p><p>"Yes, Sir! I heard you say to meet at Yongen-Jaya after school, correct? I can figure out where that is. I'll explain more there!" Just like that, the cat fled into a nearby ally, far too fast for Akira to catch up. This was certainly turning out to be a crazy day, and he decided it was time to balance it out with some regular school work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading this much of my story. The 1 year later aspect is going to affect the rest of the story more drastically now. I hope you enjoy</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ha 69 hits nice</p></blockquote></div></div>
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